Robert Meta

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 178

The camp we set up was silent for a long moment, taking in what Yoda had just said. To hear that he clung so loosely to life, that his grip on the Force was all that was keeping him alive...

"You've been holding on to train me, haven't you?" Luke asked, dragging us out of the silence. "You could have let go at any time after the Order ended… But you hung around, living in this place because you were waiting for me."

"Need me, we believed you did," Yoda explained, tapping the cha...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

With the heavy hitters of the ABB locked up tight, Arcanum needs to step up patrols around ABB territory to keep an open gang war from starting. He mentioned reaching out New Wave for help, how do they respond?

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 177

Eventually, after following Yoda for a good thirty minutes, we arrived at his home. I took a moment to look at it as everyone moved closer, staring at the small, overgrown structure. For a moment, I was back home, watching Empire Strikes Back for the first time, and my father and my brother were there with me. It sent a wave of nostalgia crashing over me, my emotions so intense that both Luke and Yoda turned to look at me.

"Sorry, I was just reminded of something from home," I assured t...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Fifty Four

Visiting the PRT, the Hospital, and doing a bit of shopping only took four hours out of my morning. By the time I had returned to my forest home, it was just about noon. The visit to the PRT took a bit longer than normal since I spent some time discussing the potential for them to pay me with materials rather than money, offering a premium since it was a much safer way for me to get my hands on some of what I needed from them, rather than going shopping.

The problem, it seemed, was that...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Forty One

Saul considered my words for a long moment. While he presented as a rough and tumble, simple folk kind of guy, I could see an intelligence in his eye that ran counter to his rough exterior.

"You offer a lot, but you ask a lot as well. I'm not thrilled at the idea of using my people as human shields," he said, leaning back in his chair. "That said, Nomads are used to threats from corporations, and we are used to being under scrutiny. Dakota Smith mentioned you're the kind of person the N...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Fifty Three

Once everyone had calmed down and Lung and Oni Lee were secured under a whole lot of containment foam, the Protectorate members that had come as reinforcements visibly relaxed. They clearly didn't like the idea of facing off with Lung, not that I could blame them. Assault couldn't help but slap my shoulder, a smile on his face. 

"Congratulations, buddy, you managed to take down one of the most dangerous capes in Brockton Bay, if not the East Coast," Assault said. "Please, for the l...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 176

I managed to scrounge around for some decent ingredients in the kitchen, putting together a leafy green salad with some seasoned grilled meat. It was a light meal, and the grilled meat was pre-cooked, but it was still good and filling. Once we were done eating, the mood improved significantly as we talked about some of the stories I knew about the Clone Wars, some with happy endings, including a few about Luke's father. A few hours later, Miru moved back to the cargo hold to work on whatever ...

Rise of the Battlemage (Poll)

Deacon has collected a decent-sized group of Jedi on Nirn and in the Skyforged. Should he make an effort to gather some of the other Jedi he knows about, or should he let them stay in hiding, with plans to invite them once the Empire is defeated?

Just to be clear, when I say "All" the Jedi, it is inevitable that I cannot actually include all surviving Jedi. There are a few groups I am considering specifically, and I am open to suggestions, but the list, even at its maximum...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 175

Luke was surprised by my offer, though at this point, he really shouldn't have been. If there was any tendency that I had shown so far, it was my propensity for sticking my foot in situations that didn't belong, especially when it came to the Jedi. Still, Luke had come primarily for advice, and he was clearly a bit overwhelmed, so I guided him to a nearby table to catch his proverbial breath. Once I had gotten us something to drink, I encouraged him to share, and the young hero explained what...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Fifty Two

Time hung in the air for a moment before Olivia, Crow, exploded into action, shooting a pair of feathers at Lung, her cloak flicking out as she moved her arm. Her ritualized outfit was currently in the feathered, simplified form, looking like a particularly deep black cloak with a mantle of feathers around her neck. Most of her face was hidden in the darkness of her hood, with only the barest outline of her jaw, chin, mouth, and nose visible.

The first feather she flung hit Lun...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Forty

When Jackie left to head back to Night City, I took a minute to collect myself, have a cup of cold water, and just relax. I had three days to complete my current projects and, more importantly, prepare myself for the next tech tree. That should be enough time to get it all done without working myself to the bone. I needed to resist the urge to push myself too hard since starting off a new tech tree exhausted and stressed was probably worse than not getting everything done in tim...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Fifty One

Olivia and I worked in a mad dash to get everything on my list done before darkness settled over the city of Brockton Bay. After a few minutes of being confused about what I was saying, Olivia seemed to make a choice, deciding to just go with it. She covered herself in a muted version of her cloak, no doubt to buff her intelligence and learning ability, and went about helping as best as she could. She quickly proved she hadn't been joking about her power buffing her learning speed, as while s...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 174

With the suitable materials found, harvested, refined, and charged, and with a product worth working on, I was finally ready to push our combat personnel to the next level. There were two groups I needed to work on in general: the Navy and the Army, though the Skyforged differentiated that into crewmen and ground Teams. All combat active crewmen, namely pilots and gunners, would need a set of enchanted uniforms<...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage (Poll)

Hello everyone! So, William has plans to perform rituals around his boots and mask. I have plans for the boots, but how should his mask work?

(This is just one layer, I have a second one planned as well)

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 173

By the end of my four-day transmutation extravaganza, I was feeling understandably antsy. I had enjoyed not needing to do much for the first two days, during which I had been brought up to date on a lot of what was going on around Omega Station and our fleet. Our supply lines were doing well, and as long as we continued to take on worthwhile bounties on pirates, our finances were relatively stable as well.

We were a bit dependent on our sales to the Rebellion for my taste, so I instruct...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Fifty

We sat there for a while, mostly in silence, as I looked over the community. There was a lot of activity going on, and I could see that John had brought out the golems, keeping them around in more accessible places, though the stone ones were still hidden. I was still sitting on the edge of the roof while Olivia was sitting a bit further back, leaning against an old air conditioner unit. 

"So, how was it, really?" She asked. "Fighting Oni Lee." 

"... I'll be honest, it w...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Nine

Predictably, Kaytyn had the same sort of reaction to the new food cubes as Jackie had, though she realized a lot of the textures were bizarre and sometimes uncomfortable. Where for me, this marked the beginning of the end of lousy, horrible food options, and for Jackie, it was probably the first time he was tasting "real" food, Kaytlyn had a bit more experience in the world and had had more opportunities to try some higher quality grub. She had been a successful bodyguard and mercenary for a ...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Nine

"Woah, woah, woah!" I shouted, still on my back, now holding up my hands. "What are you doing? Lung doesn't attack capes unless they get in his way!"

The demon paused, his fingers just touching the clip of a grenade. As I lay there, I could hear the cops trying to move people back, the crowd only sluggishly responding, rubbernecking the whole time.

"What Lung-sama does is no business of yours," The teleporting demon said, his voice low and drawn, like tearing cloth, a crisp Japane...

Rise of the Battlemage (Poll)

Thanks to the efforts of Boxi and the droids, the Skyforged has acquired an Arquitens-class light cruiser! What should they call it?

Does anyone get the reference for the last one?

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 172

Hello everyone! Just a reminder, I will be taking the fourteenth off, so there will be no new posts! The normal schedule will return on the fifteenth.

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The jump to our rendezvous point, a random spot in deep space, lasted exactly as long as planned. When we dropped, we dropped out as a group, with the Loyal Hound and our X-Wing escort appearing around us. We did a quick external scan of the X-wings to make sure their internal instruments weren't missing ...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Eight

After a simple breakfast of fruit and hot coffee, I buckled down and put together the ritual for my mind protection circlet. In the end, it was not nearly the grand, perfect anti-mind control creation that I was envisioning, but until I found something that worked, it would have to do.

Part of me considered, really considered, dumping three points into some sort of anti-mind control magic subject, but I honestly didn't think the answer would change. Not even locking my brain in...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Eight

By the time I finished designing the advanced fake borg model, the one intended to be one of our new AI members, Riggs' body was repaired enough to put his core back into place. Some of his armor plating wasn't finished, but his primary ALEO build was at a hundred percent, so he was all set. Kaytlyn hung around as I inserted the powerful AI core back into place, watching his systems boot back up with a monitoring tablet. 

"Welcome back,"  I said with a smile, patting his shoul...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Seven

I made it exactly ten feet down the road, the PRT motor pool entrance behind me, before I heard Assault calling out for me. I tapped Troy on the side to get him to stop, turning to look back as Assault closed the distance. He approached sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"So listen, I forgot to mention, my boss is pretty worried about the golem things you made," He explained, gesturing to Troy. "Especially since you handed a bunch out to civilians."

I sat up a little straig...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 171 - Boxi Interlude

Hello everyone! Just a bit of news, next week is a long weekend for many people, so my family planned a small trip. In order for me to go, I will be canceling the post for the 14th, or next Monday. Other than that, the posts should be normal and on time! Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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The bridge of Loyal Hound was filled with a certain amount of tension as it separated from the 2024-10-07 15:56:49 +0000 UTC View Post

The Brink and Back (Poll)

Hello everyone! So recently, the Wraith attacked the gang, and Riggs was nearly killed. How exactly should they get revenge/justice?

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 170

Within twenty seconds of stepping into the building, we hit our first wall of enemy combatants. Dozens of Stormtroopers and uniformed security poured out several doors as we took a corner, clearly trying to ambush us as we stepped in. They opened fire with little hesitation, dozens of them raking their weapons over us. If we had been anyone else, if we hadn't been so careful about my team going first, their plan would have likely put us in serious trouble. Instead, several dozen blaster bolts...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Six

It took a full minute for Taylor to internalize what Director Piggot had said, her mind clearly struggling to come to terms with it. After the long moment passed, she finally spoke up.

"She is in prison?" She asked. "No trail or…"

"For her previous crimes? She was already found guilty of those, so when she broke her probation, the charges were already waiting for her," Piggot explained as gently as she could manage. "What happens to her next depends on what kind of evidence we c...

The Brink and Back - Chapter Thirty Seven

Just a reminder, this chapter is shorter because it was written while I was still struggling with COVID. Thank you for being so supportive!

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Dakota looked at me for a long moment, as if she was trying to pull the idea from my brain by glaring at me. 

"Considering how much your last idea helped us, the least I could do is listen," She admitted, gesturing for me to continue. "What is your idea?" 

"Well, see, I own the whole town and a chunk of the la...

Brockton Bay's Marvelous Mage - Chapter Forty Five

I spent the rest of the day at the forest compound, finishing the alterations and additions to the absorption ritual necessary to make it permanent. I still needed the materials, five pounds of mercury, titanium, tungsten, copper, and nickel, but once I had them, I was ready. In all honesty, I could have finished the design much quicker, but I wanted there to be a level of customizability in the ritual. There was a good chance that I would, at some point, offer this ritual to other people, an...

Star Wars: Rise of the Battlemage - Chapter 169

Hello everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their kind words and well wishes after last Friday. I am feeling better, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the normal schedule!

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The four hours until it was go time dragged on for a surprisingly long time. You would think that, by now, I would be used to the hurry-up and wait that was inherent to our job, but I still struggled to be patient. Waiting was never my strong suit, especially when I knew the...